Friday, May 29, 2009

BUCKINGHAM POND PARKEXHIBIT A IN URBAN BLIGHTStrollers in Buckingham Pond Parkmust wonder is this an election year?Sure the City has been treating thepond with copper sulfate to alleviatethe pond water quality problems.However, water quality will continueto be a problem until action is takento stabilize shoreline erosion and toreduce the run off from excessive useof lawn chemicals, fertilizers and roadsalt on lawns and streets in the pondwatershed.Pond pathways are in bad shape, inparticular when wet and slippery.The southern and western parts ofthe park are overgrown with grassand weeds. Leaf debris borders thepath between Lenox and Holmes Dale.These conditions harbor ticks, whichpose a real health hazard to humansand pets, who bring them home totheir yards and houses, where theycan multiply.Remember, one female tick can havea thousand offsprings.

See numerous previous posts, thisblog, for specific identification ofproblems, proposed solutions andaction required to make BuckinghamPond Park a class A park.Isn't it ironic that, Uptown, we pay thelions share of the property taxes thatsupport city schools and city governmentas well as services like police and fire, andwe get so little in return?Uptown also is where the largest votescome out in primaries and generalelections.Are your votes so much a lock?Ponder this when people come scratchingat your door, June 9, and the rest of Juneseeking your signatures on designatingpetitions to qualify as candidates for citywide and ward offices in the September15 Democratic Primary.Before you sign, you might ask what havethey done, and what they say they willdo for you and your neighborhood?This goes for parishioners of St. Teresa'swho live in the 9th and 8th wards, as well.Why is there no effort on the part of elected officials to convince the RC Dioceseof Albany, that closing St. Teresa's Churchand school, is a bad move? Reverse it!Blight, crime and neighborhood decline inthe 7th,9th, 8th and 14th Wards are sure to follow.As Park South urban renewal proceedsurban blight and crime move upNew Scotland Ave. Before you sign a designating petitionask what that candidate has done foryou, not what can you do for thatcandidate.Your signatures and votes are yourvoice for maintaining and improvingthe residential integrity and qualityof life in this, and adjacent neighbor-hoods.Joe Sullivan

Generic Drugs. Cheaper may not be better.Health care and prescription drugs are a big issue.Use of generic drugs is promoted as a cost savingmeasure. However, this may wind up costing more.Cheaper is not usually better. 90 per cent of generic'sare produced overseas, where quality standards maybe non-existent.

While on the subject of medications...what plans dolocal pharmacies and hospitals have to providedrugs to individuals in the event of a major disasteror terror attack.Individuals, dependent on life essential drugs, shouldask themselves how long would they survive when suchdrugs are not available at any price? What is plan B?Joe Sullivan

The Diocese of Albany is closing a number of churches and schoolsin Albany, Cohoes,Watervliet,Troy and Schenectady this year.The unintended result of these closings will be increasedneighborhood deterioration and blight.

These closings are shortsighted because population shifts back tothese cities will occur as the economy worsens and oil becomestoo expensive and scarce to support commuting to the suburbs.

Ironically, the Diocese of Albany is a major recipient ofsocial services monies from the state.

It is imperative for the Mayors and City Councils to enter intodiscussions with the Diocese of Albany and New York Stateto come up with a plan to keep RC churches and schools in theabove named cities open.

Neighborhoods are made up of people, and houses anchoredby neighborhood churches schools and shops.Take away neighborhood schools, churches and shopsneighborhood deterioration, blight poverty and crime result.

Arbor Hill and the South End in Albany are two examples.Both were once thriving neighborhoods with neighborhoodschools, churches and many small shops which provided servicesgoods and employment for neighborhood residents.

Any urban renewal efforts that fail to include neighborhood schoolschurches and shops are doomed to failure.

St Teresa's Church and School in Albany must not be allowed to close.If the Diocese can't run them, parishioners mustseek out Religious Orders of priests and nuns, who can.

The same goes for similar parish churches andschools in Troy, Schenectady, Cohoes and Watervliet.Parishioners must stop behaving like the proverbial sheepand resist these church and school closings.

Seek alternatives.It may be time to recall priests fromthe foreign missions to serve in our urban parishes.Reach out to Orders and seminaries in the U.S.Canada and Europe in search of priests and nuns to keepour local urban parish churches and schools open.

Do this in memory of your ancestors who founded thesechurches and schools and do this with recognition thatneighborhood churches and schools are essential tomaintaining neighborhood identity and quality of life.

St Teresa's parish and the 9th Ward can expect thatblight and crime will spill over from the Park South urbanrenewal project on lower New Scotland Avenue.Closing the St Teresa's Church and School would onlyintensify this result.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

MEMORIAL DAY 2009: REFLECTIONSOn Memorial Day, we honor veterans, livingand dead, who have served to defendAmerica and our way of life.We also honor those men and women, inuniform today, who are now defendingAmerica and our way of life.We are at war, today, with an enemy thatdoes not wear uniforms or engage inconventional military tactics.This enemy has made war on each and everyAmerican.Accordingly, each and every American isa combatant in this war, whether or notwe realize it, or like it.The Home front has become the front linein this war. Our individual and collectivesurvival is on the line.It follows that each American has anobligation to understand the nature ofthis war and to realize that each has aduty to remain alert, observant andactively defend America from the foreignenemies, and their domestic recruits.We are no longer protected from attackby the vast Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Our immigration policies, and failureto protect our borders and ports, has resulted in tens of millions of illegal aliensliterally invading America.Among these tens of millions of illegalaliens, as well as legal immigrants, arean untold number who are the foot soldiersof the foreign terrorists sworn to ourdestruction.These enemies dwell among us, and ,areactively recruiting native born malcontentsas their allies, in this mission to destroyAmerica...our way of life...and our Constitutional form of government.

For the past 8 years, America has beenspared an attack subsequent to the 9-112001 attack.

However, failure of the federal governmentto restrict legal immigration, and failure todeal with the overriding security risk posedby tens of millions of illegal aliens in our landplaces America ,and every American, in greatdanger.Worse still, the policies, behaviors and actionsof political administrations at the federal, stateand local levels, regarding illegal aliens, greatlyincrease that danger.

The probability of coming coordinated, systematicterror attacks in America is very real.It is simplya question of when, where and how?

As the media, politicians and people think andbehave as usual, a close observer of the currentscene can only wonder if America and MemorialDay will exist in 2010 and beyond?All one can do, is say a little prayer for those whohave given their lives, those that have servedandthose who serve today, that we may live in freedom.One more prayer...for each of us, that we will riseto the challenge of defending America, andourselvesfrom all enemies, foreign and domestic.Joe Sullivan

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

ALERT

NA Presidents and addresses, Please see the below information with respect to incidents of criminal mischief that occurred over the weekend and forward it to your members. Please remind them “ If You See Something, Say Something”. Call 518-438-4000 our non- emergency Dispatch #.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF- 05/02 to 05/03, 2009

Over the weekend there were 31 instances of tire punctures. In three incidents there were multiple victims. All incidents happened overnight or in the early morning hours. All instances happened on the weekend.

Friday, May 01, 2009

NEIGHBORHOOD PRIORITIESIt has been said that election time isa good time to get things done.HERE ARE A FEW NEIGHBORHOODPRIORITIES TO ACCOMPLISH IN THENEXT FOUR MONTHS:1.Raze the abandoned derelict buildingcorner of New Scotland Ave/Whitehall Rd.Remove contaminated soils and truck inclean fill and soil to create a rolling berm.Plant the berm with grasses, a mix of flowering shrubs, hardwoods and conifers.Add a few benches, a flag pole and a smallgranite monument, dedicating this 3/4 acrepocket park site as the Dan O'ConnellMemorial Pocket Park.Dan lived the latter part of his life onWhitehall Rd in the yellow wood houseat the corner of Holmes Court. It isfitting that the 8th Ward have this siteto remember Dan and his many goodworks for the people of Albany.2. Buckingham Pond Park is the centerpiece of our neighborhood. It is in needof a lot of work to bring it up to par withWashington Park.The City crews have worked hard to prepareWashington Park for the coming TulipFestival. Now, it is time to turn attentionto Buckingham Pond Park.April 2 post repeated here:Mayor Jennings delivered. Jack will be back taking careof Buckingham PondPark.

Thank you Mayor Jennings and Jack.

However, the pond park is in rough shape after the winter.It will take more than Jack cutting the grass to restore thepond park after a hard winter.The archives of this site containnumerous recommendations for improving the park.To recap:the City Parks and Recreation Dept has some major work todo here, including:

1. resurfacing the pathways with coarse crushed bluestone

2. repairing the Milner Ave foot bridge split rail fence andpathway

3. restoring and replanting the planters at both ends of thefoot bridge

4. removing a number of dead trees including the big cotton-woods that overhang the path at the foot of Lenox, S side of pond

5. cutting vines that are strangling younger trees and clearingbrush from around young conifers and hardwoods ,to permit theirgrowth.See the southern and wester parts of the pond park.

Several of the young conifers,including the two Hemlocksclosest to Rafts Way, S side of pond park should be transplantedto more open spaces on the dredged fill site so that the conifersmight grow to their mature shapes and sizes.

7. building a stone bulkhead , adding fill and plantings, such as RedOsier Dogwoods, to stabilize the eroding shore and foot path, S sidep0nd fromEuclid to Lenox8. cleaning up litter and yard wastesdumped along the southern and western parts of the pond park

Click on prior post Plant a Tree.... for details.These are a few of themore pressing needs. Consult earlier posts for more recommendedactions.

Residents living within the pond park watershed can help improvepond water quality and save the pond, by reducing applications of lawnchemicals and fertilizers.Not littering, or dumping yard waste andpicking up after your dogs will also contribute to a cleaner parkenvironment.

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARYSEPTEMBER 15, 2009Democrats make up the overwhelmingmajority of voters in the City of Albany.It is coventional political wisdom thatwhomever wins a Democratic Primarywins that public office in November.Our Neighborhood Association is hometo 2,800 Democrats.Accordingly, The Buckingham PondCrestwood Neighborhood will play apivotol role in the Democratic Primariesfor citywide offices, including: MayorTreasurer, Common Council Presidentand election of Members of CommonCouncil from Wards 14 and 8.Neighborhood residents are urged tobecome as fully informed as possibleso that we help elect the best candidatesfor each of the above offices.Where can you get the necessaryinformation? (1) from the candidatesthemselves, through their door to doorvisits, literature and websites, (2) fromprint media including: the Times UnionMetroland, and Capital District BusinessReview, (3) from television news, includingchannels, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 23, and (4) fromlocal radio news and talk shows, includingWROW (590 AM), WGY (810 AM)and WDGJ (1300 AM).The 2009 City primaries and Novemberelection are of vital relevance to the futuresof the city and all who call Albany home.Continue to read this site andhttp://lonerangeralbany.blogspot.com/